Wireless direction-finding apparatus



Feb. 12, 1929. 1,702,041

C. DAVIS WIRELESS DIRECTION FINDING APPARATUS Filed June 12, 1923 ;aa.. at. 1a, 1929; Y

- .1 cnornna'vrsd or l I i 1; loop aerial on board ship for direction find- 1 ing purposes thaterrors are apt to creep in V owing to the lack of symmetry in'the two 5 halves otthe loop, and that this lack of symmetry is causedby the presence of ad- ]01111I1g mi321 l structures or machines; 1'01 7 house or cabin, the hatch of an engine room .-10 which is sometimes open and sometimes closed, atank on deck and the like, have led j to'errors becausethese parts render the loop asymmetrical. p Theobjectof this'invention is toovercome 515 this jditficulty and to prevent the errors due to this cause.

; tween the loop and the cause of the lack of I symmetry a screen which'is connected to the 2Q ships structure; Preferably this screen conv sists of a number'of parallel. wires stretched V. in a horizontal plane about midway between the loop and the nearest point of the cause oftroublegThe wires should be preferably 2 'arranged' symmetrically with respect to the loop and'all thecorrespondingends of the f wires should be connected togetherand to the uships structure at each end of'the screen. 7 I If a screenis provided at one end of the 'l oop, then a similar screen should be provided in a similar position' with respect to i the other end.

vpanying diagrammatic drawing which shows a 'the actual arrangement of a loop onboard a ship, in which errors as described above were j foundto occur and the arrangement of the v screen by. which these errors were obviated. Fig; 1 is a diagram showing of a loop l 40" above-two disturbing means on board a ship 1 with a screening means arranged therebc-' tween and 7 Fig. 2'shows a single disturbing means bbeneatha loop and a screen arranged above the disturbing means with a balancing screen. a '1 I Referring to Fig. 1 a is the loop supported on astructure b above a steel frame wireless vg te'ler' hone house 0 and a hatch d which is sometimes opened and sometimes shut. The ;presence of the house 0 and the hatch (Z I'cause'd errors in the working of the direction [findinglapparatus'L e is ascreen which has beenerected a'ndby which the errors are ff obviated. .It consists of a number of parstares e b It lias'been i'ound when using a closed According to the invention I providebe The invention is illustrated by theaccom ime wInnLnss ninnc'rron-rrnnrne APPARATUS.

' =.Application filed Jane 1a, 1923, Serial no. eeessaand a e an te-r run'eieg s'aa.

ran-r orr'ica;

GLASGOW, scornlenn, Assrenon TO RADIOCORPORATIONOF AMERICA, Aconronarron or DELAWARE.

tally and about .twelve'iinehes apart, and so arranged as to 'screen the whole of the loop fromboth the house 0 and the hatch d. The wires are connected together at each end and the whole screen is connected to the-main 'metalstructure of the ship.

instance .a steel frame wireless 'tele ra oh Fig. 2 shows an arrangement very similar to Fig. 1 in which a screen eis positioned between the loop a andahatchway cl so as to shield the loop from any disturbing efi'ects; A second screen: 6 i is symmetrically positioned opposite the screen 6 above the hatch ,way d for the purpose of balancing.

Having described my invention, what I claim is: 1

1. The method of conducting signals which consists of utilizing the electromagnetic component of ether waves which have become distorted by nearbyv conducting mediums, compensatingfor the effector these distortions by screening theconducting means from said distortional effects and'compensating the elfe'cts of such'screening on the conducting means by a second screening eflect'symmetrlcal wlthreference to said first screening effect. and conducting means.

2. The method of balancing the effect-10f directional waves on apparatus designed for locating them, consisting of shielding agalnst lrregularltlescaused by conducting pro1ect1ons or depressions beneath the locating apparatus and balancing the effect of said shield on the locating apparatus by a second shield of symmetrical proportions located in the same relative position on the opposite side of said locating apparatus.

3. The method of making corrections on.

directional-antenna on shipsand the like metallic structures which consists of balancing the irregularities infield distribution caused by such metallic structure by causing a plurality of irregularities of equal and opposite force to balance each other and the irregularities in field distribution caused by such metallic structures.

4. In combination, a. direction finding loop antenna, field distorting device s con sisting of irregular shaped structures, shielding means located between said 1 loop and distorting devices, and means equal and oppositein effect to the first shieldingmeans for neutralizing the effect of said first mentioned shielding'means on saidloop.

5. In wireless direction finders for ships and the like having i ntel fefing i il'e'taflic structures, a radiant energy absorbing melin-l bet Whose pointing poeition is subject to in-.

here lit error (he to" the" d'itdffe'd field' caused f energy absorbing member and the metallic structure and 'cnrie'ct ed' t6": the" metallic structure;

hefent error due tddis'torted field caused by iiit'eff mam ubetweexi flie interfering -conducting with gaid energyebsonbing means to eoun- CEGILSDAViS. 

